Luontopohjaisten ratkaisujen käsikirja

ThinkNature project funded by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 730338Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions inspired by, supported by, or copied from nature, that deploy various natural features and processes, are resource efficient and adapted to systems in diverse spatial areas, facing social, environmental, and economic challenges. The main goals of NBS are the enhancement of sustainable urbanisation (Figure ES.1), the restoration of degraded ecosystems, the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the improvement of risk management and resilience. Moreover, NBS address global challenges, directly connected to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). NBS provide multiple benefits and have been identified as critical for the regeneration and improvement of wellbeing in urban areas, coastal resilience, multifunctional watershed management, and ecosystem restoration. They also increase the sustainability of matter and energy use, enhance the insurance value of ecosystems, and increase carbon sequestration. The vision of the European Commission is to position the EU as a leader in naturebased innovation for sustainable and resilient societies. Establishing an NBS evidence and knowledge base, developing a repository of best practices, creating an NBS Community of Innovators, and improving communication ' and NBS awareness are the main actions to achieve this vision. The added value of the NBS knowledge repository would be better dissemination and visibility, and better uptake and mainstreaming of NBS, as well as contributing to and establishing lively Community of Practice. The evidence for NBS includes NBS case studies, business cases, facts and figures supporting NBS effectiveness and NBS added value, and successes and failure

Smartphone GPS tracking—Inexpensive and efficient data collection on recreational movement

This research note describes the methodological and practical applications of using smartphone GPS tracking (SGT) to explore the spatial distribution and density of recreational movement in multiple-use urban forests. We present findings from the pilot phase of an on-going case study in Keskuspuisto (Central park), Helsinki, Finland. The study employs an inventive and inexpensive approach for participatory data collection i.e. gathering GPS data from recreational users who have already recorded their routes for purposes other than research, using any kind of sports tracking application on their personal mobile phones. We used the SGT data to examine visitor spatial patterns on formal trails and informal paths, and present examples with runners and mountain bikers. Hotspot mapping of mountain bikers’ off-trail movement was conducted identifying several locations with clustering of off-trail use. Small-scale field mapping of three hotspot areas confirmed that the method accurately located areas of high use intensity where visible effects of path widening and high level of wear on the forest floor vegetation could be observed. We conclude that the SGT methodology offers great opportunities for gathering useful and up-to-date spatial information for adaptive planning and management as it highlights areas where conservation and visitor management measures may need to be adjusted. We suggest that this method warrants testing also for other user-centred research and planning purposes.Peer reviewe

Do small green roofs have the possibility to offer recreational and experiential benefits in a dense urban area? : A case study in Helsinki, Finland

Growing and densifying cities set challenges for preserving and enhancing sufficient and good quality green urban environment. Rooftops offer vacant room for additional urban greening that may contribute to the well-being of people and the liveability of cities, but this potential lacks empirical support. In spite of the fact that even small green spaces produce, for example restorative experiences, the literature concerning the experiential and recreational benefits of green roofs is still scarce. To identify the experiential potential of a small urban green roof we explored restorative and other experiences of 178 people visiting a sparsely vegetated green roof in the centre of Helsinki, Finland, using a questionnaire. We showed that the studied green roof provided restorative and other positive experiences to the visitors. The level of perceived restorativeness was relatively high. In addition, the results revealed multiple perceived qualities that reflected visual as well as other sensory experiences, beauty, suitability of the place for oneself and the urban context, nature, desire to explore the place and interestedness, positive excitement, and safety. Furthermore, answers to the open questions revealed a wide range of other observations and feelings, such as peace, joy, excitement and hope. Our study indicates that even a small and rather ascetic accessible green roof has potential to offer a moment of respite in the middle of urban everyday hassle, thus implying that these kinds of solutions may allow for a pinch of beneficial green in places where more diverse and lusher solutions are not possible due to, e.g. the load capacity of a roofGrowing and densifying cities set challenges for preserving and enhancing sufficient and good quality green urban environment. Rooftops offer vacant room for additional urban greening that may contribute to the well-being of people and the liveability of cities, but this potential lacks empirical support. In spite of the fact that even small green spaces produce, for example restorative experiences, the literature concerning the experiential and recreational benefits of green roofs is still scarce. To identify the experiential potential of a small urban green roof we explored restorative and other experiences of 178 people visiting a sparsely vegetated green roof in the centre of Helsinki, Finland, using a questionnaire. We showed that the studied green roof provided restorative and other positive experiences to the visitors. The level of perceived restorativeness was relatively high. In addition, the results revealed multiple perceived qualities that reflected visual as well as other sensory experiences, beauty, suitability of the place for oneself and the urban context, nature, desire to explore the place and interestedness, positive excitement, and safety. Furthermore, answers to the open questions revealed a wide range of other observations and feelings, such as peace, joy, excitement and hope. Our study indicates that even a small and rather ascetic accessible green roof has potential to offer a moment of respite in the middle of urban everyday hassle, thus implying that these kinds of solutions may allow for a pinch of beneficial green in places where more diverse and lusher solutions are not possible due to, e.g. the load capacity of a roofPeer reviewe

Where are the hotspots and coldspots of landscape values, visitor use and biodiversity in an urban forest?

Cities and urban green areas therein can be considered as complex social-ecological systems that provide various ecosystem services with different synergies and trade-offs among them. In this article, we show that multiple stakeholder perspectives and data sources should be used to capture key values for sustainable planning and management of urban green spaces. Using an urban forest in Helsinki, Finland as a case study, we incorporated data collected using public participation GIS, expert elicitation and forest inventories in order to investigate the guidance that the different types of data, and their integration, can provide for landscape planning. We examined the relationship and spatial concurrence between two social variables i.e. visitors’ perceived landscape values and green space use, and two ecological variables i.e. forest habitat quality and urban biodiversity, using hot/coldspot analysis. We found weak correlations and low mean spatial coincidence between the social and ecological data, indicating great complementary importance to multi-criteria decision-making. In addition, there was a higher level of spatial agreement between the ecological datasets than between the social datasets. Forest habitat quality and urban biodiversity were positively correlated and spatially coincided moderately, while we found a negative correlation and very low overlap between visitor use and landscape values. This highlights the conceptual and spatial distinction between the general preferences and values citizens assign to public green spaces and the realized everyday use of these areas and their services. The resulting maps can inform planners on overall social and environmental quality of the landscape, and point out potential threats to areas of high ecological value due to intensive recreational use, which is crucial information for natural resource management. In the end, we discuss different strategies for managing overlaps and discrepancies between the social and ecological values.Peer reviewe

More than A to B : Understanding and managing visitor spatial behaviour in urban forests using public participation GIS

Planning and management needs up-to-date, easily-obtainable and accurate information on the spatial and social aspects of visitor behaviour in order to balance human use and impacts, and protection of natural resources in public parks. We used a web-based public participation GIS (PPGIS) approach to gather citizen data on visitor behaviour in Helsinki's Central Park in order to aid collaborative spatial decision-making. The study combined smartphone GPS tracking, route drawing and a questionnaire to examine differences between user groups in their use of formal trails, off-trail behaviour and the motivations that affect it. In our sample (n = 233), different activity types were associated with distinctive spatial patterns and potential extent of impacts. The density mapping and statistical analyses indicated three types of behaviour: predominantly on or close to formal trails (runners and cyclists), spatially concentrated off-trail behaviour confined to a few informal paths (mountain bikers), and dispersed off trail use pattern (walkers and dog walkers). Across all user groups, off-trail behaviour was mainly motivated by positive attraction towards the environment such as scenic view, exploration, and viewing flora and fauna. Study findings lead to several management recommendations that were presented to city officials. These include reducing dispersion and the spatial extent of trampling impacts by encouraging use of a limited number of well-established informal paths away from sensitive vegetation and protected habitats. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Green roofs provide habitat for the rare snail (Mollusca, Gastropoda) species Pseudotrichia rubiginosa and Succinella oblonga in Finland

Snail sampling on a vegetated roof in downtown Helsinki resulted in four snail species of preference for moist habitats: Cochlicopa lubrica, Oxyloma elegans, Pseudotrichia rubiginosa, Succinella oblonga. The latter two are considered rare in Finland. In both species this is the second verified locality from the country. We provide drawings on genital morphology of O. elegans and S. oblonga and briefly discuss the potential of green roofs as habitats for invertebrates

Esiselvitys viherkattojen elinkaarianalyysistä ja kestävistä rakenneratkaisuista

Esiselvityksen rahoittaja: Kiinteistöalan koulutussäätiö Kiinko 201

Perceived Environmental Aesthetic Qualities Scale (PEAQS) : A self-report tool for the evaluation of green-blue spaces

Aesthetic qualifies of urban green and blue spaces have received considerable attention in scientific literature but are operationalized in multiple ways and lack clear assessment and measurement techniques. To fill in this gap, we developed a Perceived Environmental Aesthetic Qualifies Scale (PEAQS). Based on previous literature both in philosophy and empirical sciences we created a questionnaire with 36 statements and three open questions focusing on the perceived aesthetic qualifies of environments. This questionnaire was used to sample 331 respondents in three sites different in their level of naturalness, human intervention and design: a natural-like but managed urban forest, a partly human-made and intensively managed bay-park and a completely human-made green roof. These sites were selected to represent a variety of urban green and blue infrastructure common in cities. The results suggest a scale that consists of 23 statements and five factors that reflect perceived aesthetic qualifies of urban green spaces: Harmony, Mystery, Multisensority & Nature, Visual Spaciousness and Visual Diversity, and Sublimity. We give guidelines for further development and testing of the scale in order to prove its potential to develop the field of environmental aesthetics and to demonstrate its usefulness for adaptive, evidence-based urban planning and design.Peer reviewe